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I am interested in psychology as well as in business management..But confused as what to choose for my UG program ...

Since grade 9th I have been a commerce student ...But before that only I was interested in business management and all...but now I also have interest in psychology because I think it's my thing ...Specially in child psychology ..But now I am so confused that I am not able to choose one course ...Please help me out #psychology or #management

psychology management
Thank you comment icon Hi Inaara, Are you able to do a minor in your school? I know you are in Hydrabad, and U.S. universities may be different, but I studied a Psychology major degree, with a minor in Biology and a minor in Counseling. Is there an academic advisor you can ask regarding adding on a course of study as a minor track? Or a professor/school staff? Good luck! Priya Mathew
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Ann’s Answer

Hi Inaara,


There are actually a lot of ways to merge these two concepts together into a fulfilling career. Have you ever heard of Industrial Organizational Psychology? Professionals in this field use Psychology within the workplace and in HR. These folks are involved in anything from developing organizational culture to coaching and training. If this is a field you are interested in, then I suggest getting your undergraduate degree in the field that interests you the most. If you feel you will enjoy Psychology courses more, then choose that major. 4 years is a long time to study something, so it helps if you love what you are learning. From there is can get into IOP in your master's. Plus this gives you the option to take Child Psychology courses. Hope this helps!

Ann recommends the following next steps:

Search the website onetonline.org to learn more about Industrial Organizational Psychology.
Also search this site to learn about careers and income in the Child Psychology field
Compare the two fields to determine which will be best in the long run.
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Anna’s Answer

I agree with Ann's recommendation around Industrial / Organizational Psychology. I too went into undergraduate having an interest in psychology but I eventually made my way into the I/O Psychology direction before I graduated. I wasn't able to get a formal major in that where I went to school, so I was in the School of Education and Social Policy with a focus on Organizational Studies and I took graduate level I/O courses in the School of Engineering. These days it may be easier to find programs and pursue much more directly.


When I went to get a masters degree, I ended up getting an MBA instead of going the route of the PhD in I/O Psychology. I did that for two reasons. One, the program was two years instead of much longer. And Two, it have much more flexibility and greater pay for jobs when I graduated. I do know many successful people who went the I/O Psychology route too. Many people focus on Organizational Behavior or Organizational Development in MBA programs. There are many stand alone programs that are good too focused on these topics (for example - https://bschool.pepperdine.edu/masters-degree/organization-development/ or https://www.marshall.usc.edu/index.php/faculty-research/centers-excellence/center-effective-organizations). Some people find that a focus in Human Resources is interesting as well as it requires a great deal of organizational psychology understanding to be successful.


Regardless of what you choose for your undergraduate degree, it is really what you do for your extra curricular programs as well as your internships / early jobs out of undergrad that will be the most important. Therefore you should pursue an educational program that is of most interest to you and feel free to adjust your focus if you get into it and decide it is not for you. That is what I did. Twice! And I turned out just fine. :-)
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Racheal’s Answer

Hi. You have a lot of options, so perhaps it's up to you how you want to play it. If you really want to do psychology and be child psychologist, major in that and minor in business. That way, once you get the advanced program, you won't need to take extra classes on top I'd the recommended classes (if the allow that to be an option).
You can still go into business with a psychology degree...please don't let anyone fool you that you can't. 😉
I too wanted to do business in psychology in undergrad after walking alway from pre-med. Psychology was my major and Organization Leadership and Supervision( similar to business ) was my minor. I had 5 classes for my minor and I had interviews with plenty of business fortune 500 companies. I choose not to pursue any internship or business school because I really felt like my purpose was to the helping profession (similar to yours). I did child and adolescent case management, worked at the health department and now a mental health counselor. My point is there are many route, but once you decide you want to advance, start to narrow down and be a bit more concise in the career path to boost your resume.

Make realistic goals and go over courses related to your goals with your advisor.
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Joshua’s Answer

I had the same question when I was deciding on my undergrad path! I'd say that the two are very closely aligned, although I went the business management route as I had received automatic admission into the business school. I'd recommend going that route as well with a psychology degree as a fallback. There are many things taught in the business schools that are important in today's job market and might give you a slight edge over other applicants.
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Vani’s Answer

Hi Inaara!

It's great that you are thinking about this early on! You have a lot of great options to help you prepare to make this decision.

Vani recommends the following next steps:

1. I recommend you take some sort of career workshop to figure out your strengths and interests. I personally took a workshop which helped me figure out that I was actually in the wrong major for what I truly wanted to do. These workshops can even help find career paths you might have not even been aware of!
2. Explore! I had many friends in college who went into college without immediately declaring their major. Instead they dabbled in a few different area until they figured out what they liked most. I would look into the requirements for each major. For example, I graduated with a psychology major but initially had dabbled in computer science. When I switched my major, the classes I had taken unrelated to psychology, still counted towards my credits for graduation since the psychology major had many flexible elective credits.
3. Informational interviews. There is no better way to figure out what a day to day looks like in a career you're interested than to directly ask someone who is already in it. LinkedIn is a great resource to find people who work at companies you are interested in or who are in careers you may be interested in. It may feel scary at first but trust me, most people would love to sit down for a 30 min coffee chat with you and share their insights.
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